Shipping box or crate.



No. 861,516, PATBNTBD JULY 30190-7. J; E..HIITGH.

SHIPPING B0X 0R CRATE.

APPLIOTION-FILBD APB. 18,1906.

:n: nomas Prns ca., wumnarou, n. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFTQE.

JOHN E. HITGH, OF SNYDERVILLE, OHIO, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO DANIEL H. SNYDER, OF SNYDERVILLE, OHIO, AND ONE-FOURTH TO W. P. HAMMER, OF WESTBORO, OHIO.

SHIPPING BOX OR CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 30, 1907.

Application filed April I8, 1906. Serial No. 312,340,

To all whom fit may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. HITCH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Snyderville, in the county of Clark and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shipping Boxes or Crates, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in shipping boxes or crates, and the essential feature consists in an inner lining, and an outer frame, adapted to be folded into form and unfolded` so as to lie lat, and in ends or heads l'or the box or crate hinged tothe general body, preferably, the one head or end to the front of the box and the other to the back oi the box so that the heads or ends may be swung inward to lie flat against the part to which they are respectively hinged, all as hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is an end elevation of my improved box or crate Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view on the line xx of Fig. l, and Fig. 3, a plan view of the boX or crate knocked down flat, with the ends or heads folded over thereon.

The numeral l designates the inner lining of my box 25 or crate, consisting of pasteboard or other fabric or of a veneer of wood. By preference this lining is one sheet composing the top, back, bottom and iront, as shown. But it may be made up in sections. To this lining is secured an outer [raming composed of a series of strips 2, preferably of wood, which lie on the outer side of the lining, while shoulder strips 3 extend across the inner face of the lining at either end of the box and constitute shoulders against which the ends or heads abut, as will be presently described. These outer strips 2 35 and shoulder strips 3 are secured to the lining in any desired way, as by nails 4 which pass through the lining and into the shoulder strips and nails `5 which pass through the outer strips and the lining and into the shoulder strips. The nails 5 also hold or secure to this outer framing, metallic bands or tapes, 6, across top, tapes or bands, 7, across front, tapes or bands, 8, across bottom and tapes or bands, 9, across back. The meeting ends ol the tapes 7 and 8, 8 and 9, and 9 and G are connected together by means of links l0 secured by' passing the bands or tapes through them and bending back such ends against the body of the tapes or bands and securing them by the nails 5. Then the meeting ends of the tapes or bands 6 and 7 each carry a link ll and 12 respectively. These links are detachably connected by short pieces of wire I3 having a lead or other seal 14 applied thereto to fasten the ends of theA wires so as to seal up the boli or crate and to make known the fact if the box or crate should be opened by unfastening the wires 13. The links l0 incidentally form hinges between the top of the box or crate and its back.

Referring now to the ends or heads, the same consist each of the lining l5 and a frame composed of pieces 16 and I7. One of the pieces IG of cach head or end is attached to a section of the box, say one head or end to the front of thebox and the other to the back thereof. The fastening for this purpose constitutes, in effect, a hinge. One cheap means consists of plates I8 of thin, iiexible metal, say tin or brass, secured to the head or end and to the adjoining part of the box body. When the heads or ends are in place and the box or crate is set up for use, as in Figs. l and 2, they come against the inner face of the shoulder strips and are suitably held in that position. For this purpose one of the heads or ends has an eye-bolt or staple I9, to receive a hook 20 attached to the front ol' the box or crate, while the other head or end is bored with a hole as shown at 2l. to receive a pin 22 projecting inward from one of the shoulder strips. Thus the free ends oi the heads are secured to the body of the box when it is set up for use, and yet may be freely swung inward so as to respectively lie flat upon the section of the box to which they are hinged, as seen in Fig. 3.

Thus it will be seen that after the box or crate is opened for removal of its contents, its body may be spread out fiat and at the same time its ends swung, the

one over against the section to which it is hinged and the other over against the section to which it is hinged,

each head thereby lying flat against its own section. In this form the structure can be stacked in numbers for transportation purposes either in being shipped from the factory where it is made to the users, or from one shipper to another.

Having `thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A shippingr box or crate comprising top, bottom and side sections having an inner lining and an outer framing composed of strips, bands or tape secured to the several sections of the structure and substantially equal in length to the width of said sections, links. extending diagonally across the corners of said box and connecting said bands, and ends or heads hinged to separate sections of said box.

2. A shipping box or crate comprising top, bottom and side sections having an inner lining and an outer framing.; composed ot strips, bands or tapes secured to the several sections of the structure and substantially equal in length to the width of said sections, links extending diagonally across the corners of said box and connectingv said bands save at the meeting of the top and front, fastening wires to secure the links at the juncture of the top and front, shoulder strips secured near the ends of the framing strips, ends or heads hinged to separate sections of the box and adapted t0 swing inward and also to abut said shoulder strips. l

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

.TOHN E. HITCH.

Witnesses:

E. 0, HAGAN, F. W. Serramenti. 

